The Pike River Mine has turned into a “blast furnace” with temperatures possibly reaching a constant 1000degC, after a fourth explosion deep inside the deadly pit.
Exhausted relatives of the 29 men who perished in the first explosion on November 19 have now been told grimly that forensics may be needed to identify the remains of their loved ones.
Police briefed families last night about the process under way known as disaster victim identification (DVI). DVI is a worldwide standard of positively identifying victims in a multiple casualty event.
Primary methods of identification include fingerprints, dental records and DNA.
After the 1967 Strongman Mine disaster, all but two coffins had to be sealed.
Flames were last night shooting from the top of a 108m ventilation shaft. No flames had been visible until now, even during the initial methane explosion.
The fourth explosion was heard at Atarau, 12km away, and plumes of smoke were visible from there.
It is now feared the coal itself is on fire, and parts of the roof of the tunnel may have collapsed.
Hopes of getting to the bodies were further hampered this morning, when foam being used to seal the mine entrance also caught fire. No one was hurt, but it meant the portal needed to be cooled down before a jet engine could start pumping gases inside in an attempt to neutralise the lethal methane and subdue the fire. Management expected it may be able to start that job this evening.
University of Canterbury geologist David Bell said temperatures would have reached about 1000degC underground.
“The question is, how extensive the fire is, it’s got to be burning coal.”
Sealing the mine was an option as it was a fairly new mine with only an entrance, ventilation shaft and bore holes, but “when the temperature’s up and there are flames coming out...”
“They had no option but to concede (parts had collapsed), it’s pretty damn messy.”
Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whittall said today it could be weeks before it was safe for recovery teams to get into the mine to attempt to recover the bodies.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said it was now a “blast furnace — this is their worst nightmare coming true”.
Relatives were entitled to hold on to all hope, but the numbers attending the early evening family meetings in Greymouth had dropped from 320 to 150 and the mood was now very subdued.
“They are quiet, absolutely worn out. This is day 11. There is hope, but never any good news.”
Mr Kokshoorn has also requested the family meetings be moved out of the Civic Centre to a more private, intimate venue.
Even if the Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy jet machine got up and running today, it may take weeks to make the mine safe. The mine first needed to be sealed so air did not get in after the machine had been used.
It had been hoped it would be sealed last night but gas fluctuations were detected and work had to be stopped for several hours overnight.
Workers were up to the last stage of sealing the mine — putting in shotcrete, or liquid concrete.
Mr Whittall said it was likely parts of the mine had collapsed after the third explosion, after which black smoke could be seen coming from the shaft.
The black smoke showed coal was burning and the fire was probably being fed by coal that had collapsed from the roof.
“For it to be an active fire now, the most likely way it got its initial feed is from a roof collapse.”
The Strongman Mine, where 19 men died, continues to burn after 43 years but Pike River has no surface cracks to let fresh air in.
The portal fire happened just after 6.30am today, when the foam being used to seal the mine self-combusted. It was unrelated to the fire burning inside the mine.
Reports of a fifth explosion were wrong, Mr Whittall said.
(Photo: TV3)
By Laura Mills and NZPA
http://www.greystar.co.nz/content/mine-inferno
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